Domestic Violence Evidence Allowed in San Diego Murder Trial of Ex-Marine

A San Diego judge ruled that prosecutors may present evidence of prior attacks by Raymond McLeod against two former partners at his murder trial.

Judge greenlights prior domestic violence evidence in McLeod murder case

A San Diego Superior Court judge ruled Monday that prosecutors may introduce evidence of domestic violence against two of Raymond McLeod's former partners at his upcoming murder trial, Courthouse News Service reports. McLeod, 42 and a former Marine, is charged with murdering his girlfriend, Krystal Mitchell, who was found strangled in a San Diego apartment on June 10, 2016.

Mitchell, 30, was discovered unresponsive and badly beaten. Responding officers reported signs of a struggle, and surveillance footage showed McLeod grabbing her by the throat and dragging her into an elevator. McLeod and his attorneys have maintained her death was an accident resulting from rough sex gone wrong.

After the killing, McLeod fled through Mexico to El Salvador, where he worked as an English teacher until his capture in 2022. The U.S. Marshals Service had placed him on its most-wanted list in 2021.

Prior incidents dating back to 2009

San Diego Superior Court Judge Kimberlee Lagotta allowed evidence from two separate incidents in 2009 and 2016 involving different women.

In the 2016 incident, McLeod and his wife, identified as R.J., were spending the night at a friend's house following an evening of drinks while the couple was going through a divorce. According to filings from the district attorney's office, McLeod discovered R.J. in another bedroom, stormed in, and dragged her out by her hair. When other guests opened the door, McLeod was strangling her. "Her face was purple, and she was no longer able to speak," Deputy District Attorney Franciesca Balerio told the court. "He was out on bail for that case when he killed Ms. Mitchell." Court documents also recount additional incidents of domestic violence and rape alleged by the same woman.

In the 2009 incident, McLeod pushed his ex-wife, identified as K.G., while she was holding their son during a custody exchange in a parking lot, then pinned her against a car.

Lagotta determined both incidents fell within the scope of admissible evidence and could be sexual in nature. "Prior incidents of domestic violence that are within 10 years can be included in a trial that involves new incidents of domestic violence, regardless if it's the same victim or different victim," she said. McLeod's motion to exclude the evidence was denied.

Prosecution frames killing as "ultimate act of domestic violence"

Balerio argued the pattern of behavior was directly relevant to the murder charge. "The defendant is charged with murdering his girlfriend, the ultimate act of domestic violence," she said. "We have multiple instances of domestic violence in the months leading up to her death. The defendant's history of domestic violence is highly relevant."

Defense seeks to introduce consent testimony

McLeod's attorneys sought to call witnesses — including former girlfriends — who would testify that he always acted consensually in sexual encounters involving physical contact. Defense attorney Alison Triessl described one witness who reported seeing McLeod hold a woman's throat during a consensual act. Reading from a semi-anonymous statement, Triessl quoted: "There were certain things we liked to do. Choking — not a problem with me. He knew he had a limit. When I told him to stop, he did it immediately."

Lagotta allowed witnesses to describe what they observed but ruled they could not characterize the acts as consensual. That same testimony had been admitted in a prior criminal case against McLeod in 2025. Lagotta declined to allow it this time, saying it was irrelevant to McLeod's relationship with the decedent.

Discovery delays draw defense complaints

Defense attorneys also complained that the San Diego District Attorney's Office had failed to provide new evidence — including hundreds of pages of documents and cellphone data — in adequate time for review. "Discovery that has been in possession of the DA for years has only been provided this past week and literally over the weekend," attorney Robert Sheahen told Lagotta. He noted that similar discovery issues had led to a dismissal of McLeod's case earlier in 2025. "Why didn't we get this stuff five years ago, two years ago, one year ago?" Sheahen said.

Both parties agreed to continue the preliminary hearing to a later date to allow the defense time to review the new materials.

McLeod, dressed in a suit with his hair in a man bun, sat silently beside his attorneys throughout the hearing, speaking only to confirm he agreed to the continuance. Krystal Mitchell's mother, Josephine Wentzel — herself a former police detective — was present in the courtroom.

Source: Courthouse News Service